Big Air Wind Jam report from Todd

luke · Since 06 Jul 2005 399 Posts Obsessed

On the 28th and 29th at Crissy Field was the Big Air Wind Jam. The skies parted way for the sun for the first time since Tuesday and the wind was pumping. The concept of the event was to have a boardercross competition and have a 30 + foot high floating ramp with streaming water to simulate a massive wave that the riders could use to boost the sickest airs ever in a competition. When the floating ramp less than dazzled the riders with its low take off height and safety concerns, mother nature took over delivering 25knot winds, perfect for a big air competition!!! In light of the obstacle problems, Saturday’s format was changed to a hangtime competition as 2000+ spectators lined Crissy Field. While several riders turned in 7+ second hang time scores, 15 year old Cabrinha rider Jesse Richman silenced the crowd with a 22 second jump caught on two separate video cameras that later confirmed a new World Record!!!

Jesse launched what looked to be like your average jump on the inside, started back down from the apex, then hovered just over 10 feet above the water throwing seven kiteloops that kept him afloat for 22 seconds and sent him nearly 800 feet downwind!!! Congratulations Jesse Richman on your World Record Hangtime!! It should also be noted that Jesse turned in the second longest jump at 15 seconds – way to go! Clarissa Hempel of Cabrinha took the Womens crown for hangtime. She beat out a slew of other women in the gusty conditions.

Sunday’s competition switched gears to Boardercross. This differs from course racing in that there are no upwind legs, a more slalom oriented course is set, the starts can be from the beach (they were in this case…), contact with other participants it likely, and obstacles must be navigated in order to properly complete the course.

The finals heat pitted Cabrinha riders Damien Leroy, Jon Modica, Kent Marinkovic, and Shawn Richman along with Ovi Banuto in a five man battle royale!! As the finish line approached, Leroy stayed in control with Modica at his heels, but not within striking distance. Ovi was in position to follow Modica, but Marinkovic and Richman weren’t through yet!! With a short distance to go, Marinkovic and Richman, just feet apart, closed in on Ovi. In a horrific crash, Marinkovic lost an edge and Richman bailed out but not in time to avoid a collision between his knee and the back of Marinkovic’s head!!! Leroy and Modica, already finished, circled around to give aid to a stunned Marinkovic, who turned out to be just fine, albeit disappointed that he wasn’t able to catch Ovi!! Congratulations to Damien Leroy and the whole Cabrinha team that took 4 of the top 5 spots in boardercross!! In the Womens boardercross, it was Clarissa Hempel of Cabrinha, Melissa Gil, and Gail Zaccai in the finals. Hempel rocketed to a championship finish powered by her Switchblade kite followed by Gil and Zaccai. Here are the results:

Boardercross Men:

1 Damien Leroy (Cabrinha)

2 Jon Modica (Cabrinha)

3 Ovi Banuto

4 (tie) Kent Marinkovic (Cabrinha)

4 (tie) Shawn Richman (Cabrinha)

Boardercross Men:

1 Clarissa Hempel (Cabrinha)

2 Melissa Gil

3 Gail Zaccai

Hangtime:

King Jesse Richman (Cabrinha)

Queen Clarissa Hempel (Cabrinha)

The first ever US National Championships for Kite Racing took place on July 25-27th from beautiful Crissy Field, at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. The event is of particular interest to the kitesurfing world as the discipline of kite racing has exploded onto the scene over the last few years. Cabrinha took notice of the potential for this new discipline and established the Cabrinha Race Series in San Francisco in 2006, and in Corpus Christi, TX in 2007. The St. Francis Yacht Club, the well organized hosts of the event, have established the rules and an official class for kite racing to be the de facto template for kite racing throughout the world. St. Francis Yacht Club is a world class club that is famous for running championships both on the National and World level. They currently run racing events for windsurfing, kitesurfing, all kinds of sailboat classes, and even America’s Cup. US Sailing has now recognized Kite Racing as a class, so all the hard work has paid off and the time to get involved in racing is now!

San Francisco is world renowned for its summer breezes at Crissy Field. This event was to be no exception. Through three days of fog, winds averaged between 17 and 22 mph making for perfect racing conditions. With tidal speeds of up to 4 knots in either direction, racers were not only challenged by the rules and the blustery winds, but also strong currents. The Fleet went through a qualifying round where it was split between Gold ad Silver for the final championship. All Cabrinha riders, including Jeff Kafka, Jesse Richman, Jon Modica, Damien Leroy, Shawn Richman, Kent Marinkovic, Nils Stolzlechner, Kevin Steen, Todd Gréaux, and Clarissa Hempel qualified for Gold fleet out of the top 35 spots.

Cabrinha riders Jesse Richman, Jon Modica, and Shawn Richman swept the Junior Division with all the top spots, respectively. Cabrinha Riders Kafka, J. Richman, Modica, Leroy, and S. Richman snagged five of the six top places overall utilizing Crossbows, Switchblades, and Contra kites. In the Masters Division, Nils Stolzlechner grabbed 2nd place, and in Womens Division, Clarissa Hempel brought home 3rd. There is no question that the Cabrinha Race Series held at Crissy Field played a major part in determining the overall champion as the top three finishers were regulars in the series. It should be noted that young Kevin Steen of Cabrinha was racing on a strapless board and was photographed riding unhooked on the hair razing downwind runs. Once statistically eliminated from a top three finish, Steen was seen doing a shovit 360 over the weather mark, and stomping a huge ollie to cross the finish line.

With nearly 60 competitors from as far away as Germany and Tahiti, the event was a huge success and we look forward to many more successful years of championships to come! Thanks to all the riders and the St. Francis Yacht Club for making this first ever National Championship possible.

Overall:

1 Anthony Chavez

2 Jeff Kafka (Cabrinha)

3 Jesse Richman (Cabrinha)

4 Jon Modica (Cabrinha)

5 Damien Leroy (Cabrinha)

6 Shawn Richman (Cabrinha)

Junior:

1 Jesse Richman (Cabrinha)

2 Jon Modica (Cabrinha)

3 Shawn Richman (Cabrinha)

Masters:

1 Chip Wasson

2 Nils Stolzlechner (Cabrinha)

3 Mark Bosta

Women:

1 Christine Boese

2 Sandy Parker

3 Clarissa Hempel (Cabrinha)